For most of my life, I have not liked saunas. To me, they felt stuffy and somewhat claustrophobic, and I didn’t really enjoy sweating that much! While taking a plane trip, I watched a series called “Limitless” with Chris Hemsworth, where he tries different health “hacks” to improve his longevity. He meets with all kinds of wellness experts who weigh in on the subject, from cold plunging to fasting. One of the modalities that was discussed was the sauna. As I said, I wasn’t a fan, but the research presented made me look into it more.
What are these health benefits, you ask? According to Dr. Google, these are just some of the benefits:
Heart and Cardiovascular Health
- Lower blood pressure: Sustained heat causes blood vessels to dilate, improving arterial compliance and elasticity.
- Increased heart rate: Heart rates can rise to 110–120 beats per minute (or higher), boosting circulation and cardiac output.
- Reduced mortality risk: Frequent use (4 to 7 times per week) is associated with a lower risk of sudden cardiac death and fatal stroke.
Brain and Mental Health
- Reduced dementia risk: Regular sessions (4 to 7 times weekly) have been linked in observational studies to a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- Stress relief: Heat exposure helps downshift the nervous system, lower systemic inflammation, and ease depressive symptoms.
Physical Recovery and Pain Management
- Muscle and joint relief: Heat releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, helping soothe sore muscles and ease joint stiffness in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
- Respiratory support: Wet or dry sauna use can temporarily improve lung function and subjective breathing ease for people with mild asthma or COPD.
Well, “Yes please,” to all of that! I started using the sauna at the gym that I attend. After getting over my initial dislike, I learned to embrace the sweat and became a big fan! I found that it helped recovery from exercise and the heat of the sauna was a wonderful place in which to stretch. Having a period of 20 minutes where I was staying in one place and focusing on my health gave me the opportunity to do other things that I knew were good for me. Breath work, stretches for chronically tight muscles, and self massage for improving lymph flow and releasing fascia. I developed a routine. If you would like to see my “sauna routine” and get suggestions for how to make the most out of your time in the sauna to maximize the health benefits, click on the image below to watch a short YouTube video.
But first, there are some contraindications. You should not use a sauna (or consult your doctor before you do) if you have unstable heart disease, very low or uncontrolled high blood pressure, or are pregnant. If you’ve not used saunas (or avoided them like me) then start with shorter periods of heat exposure and build up the time in the sauna slowly until you can comfortably reach 20-minute sessions. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your time in the sauna.
I ended up liking sauna use so much that I purchased a home sauna! You can spend thousands of dollars on fancy cedar saunas, but I got a relatively inexpensive sauna that was easy to set up and does all the same things. This is a short video that shows how I “tricked it out” to get the most from it, if you are thinking of getting a home sauna. And you are welcome to come by the office to see my set-up. Currently, this unit is around $500, but I suspect there will be “Black Friday” sales later this month if you want to check it out.
Now I sauna five or six days a week, either at the gym or at home. I’ve seen many positive changes in my health. As I said in my August newsletter, this past spring I started a daily 10-minute fascia/lymph flow routine and added regular sauna use- without changing anything else in my diet or exercise amounts. Amazingly, my fancy scale is showing a nice decline in body fat percentage, BMI, and subcutaneous fat. If you’d like to try a sauna for the health benefits, many gyms, community centres and even some condo buildings have saunas. Make sure you drink a lot of water and sweat it out- you’ll be amazed at how great you feel!